photo courtesy of Bittersweet

Seneca Klassen, chocolatier for the Bay Area’s three renowned Bittersweet Cafes, will share a mouth-watering evening discussing chocolate at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, September 17 from 6PM to 7:30PM.  Klassen will present the botany and cultural history of this compelling food, including a behind the scenes look at the Conservatory’s fruiting cacao tree and a special tasting of five of Klassen’s own Bittersweet Origins chocolate bars.  He will also discuss the importance of the post-harvesting process and quality finishing.
 
The talk and tasting are part of the Conservatory’s Edible Expeditions exhibition which runs through November 1.  Tickets to Klassen’s talk are available in advance for $20.
 
Klassen is the creator of Bittersweet Origins chocolate and makes the “bean-to-bar” chocolate in 50-pound micro-batches, making each bar unique.  He uses cacao beans from the Dominican Republic, Bali and Venezuela for his Bittersweet Origins chocolates and roasts and prepares the beans in Bittersweet’s Berkeley production facility. Klassen has spent this summer in Oahu, planting a 15-acre 7000-tree cacao plantation.
 
“Chocolate is such an amazing food – so delicious, so full of healthy nutrients.  It has a fascinating history and its growth and development from bean all the way to chocolate bar is really surprising and interesting,” Klassen says.  “I’m very happy and excited to share all of this at the beautiful Conservatory of Flowers.”
 
To register for this special evening, visit www.conservatoryofflowers.org and click on Events or call 415-831-2039 for more information. Space is limited. Cost is $20 per person or $15 per person for Conservatory of Flowers Jungle Pass members.
 
About Bittersweet Café
Bittersweet Origins is a manufacturing and retailing company which creates craft chocolate and coffee in handmade, micro batches to engage the senses and the mind.  Bittersweet Café retail stores’ ambience and furnishings reflect the one-of-a-kind nature of its chocolate bars, chocolate drinks and coffees.  The warm and welcoming spaces furnished with unique tables, benches, carts and artwork from local craftspeople and artists create a gathering place for the community to savor locally made chocolate delicacies, coffee and tea.  The Bittersweet Cafes are located in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, College Avenue in Oakland and the Rose Garden Shopping Center in Danville.  For more information, visit www.bittersweetcafe.com or call   510-705-1860.